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Editors Note
During 2002, we had a lot of positive response
from listings in our Yellow
Pages section. In particular we received an email from an accordionist
performing in a restaurant, who told us he has had great response
to his listing in the Venues
& Restaurants section.
If you perform in a restaurant or if you own
a restaurant with accordionists performing, please send details
on our submit
form as there are many traveling accordion enthusiasts who want
to find places to go with fine accordion entertainment.
Wayne
Knights Webmaster
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Over 65,000 People at NAMM 2003 - USA
  Contributed
by Jon
Hammond
On January 17th, the official NAMM marching
band kicked off the opening of NAMM 2003 with the traditional "once
around the fair grounds" to a rousing rendition of the Beach
Boy's hit song "Round Round I Get Around"! The doors of
the event then opened for the public to view the great variety of
displays. Many accordion makes and models were on display this year.
 This
year's premier event was the all-star concert with Sir Elton John
featured in a concert entitled "Elton & Friends Rock for
Music Education". Other artists included Bruce Hornsby (accordionist),
Vanessa Carlton, Ray Charles, Nikka Costa, Amy Grant, Jewel, Norah
Jones, Diana Krall, John Mayer, Michael McDonald, Brian McKnight,
Take 6, Rufus Wainwright and Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys). Emmy
award winner Eric McCormack, from NBC's "Will & Grace"
hosted the concert honoring Sir Elton John. An award was presented
by Yamaha to Sir Elton entitled the "2003 Lifetime Achievement
in Musical Excellence Award". Proceeds from the concert will
go toward AMC and NAMM's other music education charities: the International
Foundation for Music Research and Museum of Making Music.
Over 65,000 people attended the concert at Arrowhead
Pond in Anaheim, California.
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Shanghai Music Conservatory Set
Up Accordion Program - China
Contributed by Li
Cong
The Shanghai Music Conservatory will begin a
new Accordion Course this year, which will cater for a maximum of
five students. So far other major music academies such as the Tianjin
Music Conservatory, Sichuan Music Conservatory, Xian Music Conservatory,
Shenyang Music Conservatory and Wuhan Music Conservatory have all
included courses for the accordion. The Tianjin Music Conservatory
particularly have rapidly developed their accordion courses.
In the past, both the China Central Music Conservatory
and Shanghai Music Conservatory (being two of the most influential
music schools in the country and abroad), did not have an accordion
course available, but now this situation has changed, which is another
important milestone in Chinese accordion history.
Enrollments for the new course will be held
on March 20th and 21st. Preliminary examinations will be held on
March 23rd and 25th. For more information phone: +86 13816776688
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20th Century Chamber Music Competition
- Germany
Contributed by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
The 4th International Wolfgang Jacobi Competition
for 20th Century Chamber Music 2003 will take place at the Hochschule
für Musik and Theater München from November 14th to 16th.
This year's event will feature categories for Flute/Accordion and
Flute/Piano. In this competition, young chamber music ensembles
from Europe (age limit: 30 years) are given the opportunity to work
exclusively on the repertoire of the 20th century.
Jury members include András Adorján
and Aurèle Nicole (flute), Konstantia Gourzi (composer and
conductor), Alfons Kontarsky (piano), Hugo Noth (accordion), Helmut
Rohm (Bavarian Radio) and Inka Stampfl (President of Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband
e.V.). The competition will comprise of two rounds and the jury
will particularly consider the quality of well balanced ensemble
playing. Competitors are requested to play a piece from the works
of Wolfgang Jacobi. Compositions by Boulez, Casella, Harada, Hosokawa,
Kagel, Nighingale and Zender feature among the compulsory pieces
in the competition, from which the competitors may additionally
choose. Prizes amount to a total of € 10.000.
For further information email Dorothee Göbel
at: do.goebel@t-online.de
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Jump 'n' Jam - Italy
 Contributed
by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
A fun event entitled "Jump 'n' Jam"
will be held in Brescia from February 7th to 9th, presented by
Lelastiko Associazione Culturale in collaboration with II circoscrizione
del comune di Brescia. The event will include workshops on improvisation
and musical composition with dancers, choreographers and musicians
including Davide Bonetti (accordion). A number of jam sessions will
be held throughout the event, including a "Silent Jam",
where silence will be investigated as a peculiar musical element.
Subscriptions are open until January 31st. For
details email: lelastiko@yahoo.it
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1st Prague Accordion and Harmonica
Days - Czech Republic
 Contributed
by Pavel Svarc
Accordion and Harmonica orchestras and ensembles from
all over the world are invited to the 1st Prague Accordion and Harmonica
Days held in the National House Vinohrady, Prague from October 2nd to
5th.
The festival will begin with an Opening Concert and
performance by the professional ensemble "The North Bohemian Philharmonic
Orchestra Teplice" who will play Hungarian dances by Brahms and Slavonic
dances by Dvorák.
Other events include a "Gala International Accordion"
concert, performances by representative orchestras and well known Czech
accordion virtuoso M. Bláha, competitions, presentation of the
International Trophy and special awards, performances by prize-winners,
a "Goodbye Party" with dinner, music, dancing and fireworks.
Competition classes will include categories for Accordion
Ensembles, Accordion Orchestras,
Harmonica Orchestras and Accordion Orchestras with a Choir.
Applications close June 27th 2003. For information
email: cta@iol.cz
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Accordion Manufacturers Merge
- Italy
Contributed by Holda
Paoletti-Kampl
The world has become accustomed to mergers especially
during the latter half of the last century.
However, in the accordion manufacturing industry, the reverse has
been true for many years. Now, in a unique move, two high profile
companies within this industry: Sem
and Menghini
have joined forces to form a new manufacturing company - SUONI srl.
The new company was operational from January 2nd 2003. The President
of the new company is Giansandro Breccia. The merger is a natural
result of previous manufacturing collaborations between the two
companies as they had many complementary facets in terms of production
and products. It was therefore apparent that many benefits could
result from combining the two production units.
The fusion will therefore bring most of the
production processes under one roof, which will be at the existing
Menghini premises. Personnel from both companies will be retained.
The original SEM factory is to be sold.
The products manufactured by SUONI will be marketed
exclusively by MENGHINI using the following brand names: Scandalli,
Sem and
Paolo Soprani.
Each brand will have its own separate identity and there will be
little, if any, overlap of products.
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Four Orchestras Perform - Germany
  Contributed
by Marc-Oliver Brehm
Four accordion orchestras from Stuttgart and
surrounding areas, comprising of 50 players will perform during
January and February, conducted by Andrej Baumgard.
 The
event is entitled "Gemeinschaftskonzerte AKKORDEON XXL - vier
Orchester-ein Klangkörper" (Community concerts ACCORDION
XXL - four Orchestras - one sound) and will include a series of
three concerts. Their program will include works by George Gershwin
and Leonard Bernstein. The event has received such high acclaim
so far, that the orchestras have been invited to attend the 1st
Prague Accordion Festival in October.
Concerts will be held on January 25th in Weil
der Stadt (Aula), February 8th at the Festsaal Bethanien in Stuttgart-Möhringen
and February 15th in Hildrizhausen (Schönbuchhalle). For further
information email: info@accordimento.de
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American Accordionists Association
65th Anniversary Competition & Festival - USA
Contributed by Faithe
Deffner
The American
Accordionists Association will hold their 65th Anniversary Competition
and Festival at the Marriott Hotel at Philadelphia International
Airport from July 9th to 13th. The event will include competitions
for all ages with cash prizes and awards, Massed Band performance,
Festival Orchestra performance, workshops & exhibits, Luncheon
Concerts, World of Accordions Traveling Museum, sight seeing tour,
Endless Performance Ballroom, Club Pub - Polka Fest, 65th Anniversary
Gala Banquet Celebration and many featured guests including the
2002 Coupe
Mondiale Winner (who also won the Coupe's Piano Accordion Competition),
Alexander Poeluev (Russia).
For further information email: ameracc@aol.com
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Accordion
Festival Day - Canary Islands
  Contributed
by Francisco José Dávila Dorta
On January 19th, an accordion festival was celebrated
at the Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos "La Unión"
de Geneto in La Laguna, Tenerife. The event included an accordion
festival with performers Felipe Gadea Beltrán and Gerardo
Rizza, who were accompanied by a group of local accordionists. The
crowd were impressed by the extraordinary performances of virtuoso
accordionists Felipe and Gerardo who played solos and duos. Felipe
also played with one of his most promising students, aspiring accordionist
Leopoldo Delgado Brito, a professional on saxophone, trumpet and
strings.
These experienced players were joined by other
amateur accordionists and also accompanied by impromptu performers
on guitar and percussion.
The excited audience were given the opportunity
to hear a variety of works by Beethoven, Liszt, Rossini, Tchaikovsky
plus traditional pieces from Mexico and the Canary Islands.
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Fiamma in Concert - Italy
 Contributed
by Holda Paoletti-Kampl
Alberto
Cottica, former accordionist of the popular band Modena City Ramblers,
is now working as a composer, musician and producer in a new group, which
combines tradition with innovation, accordions and bagpipes with electronic
instruments. The group, which also includes Fiamma (vocals), Medhin Paolos
(live electronics) and Jessica Lombardi (electric bass and traditional
bagpipes) has created a kind of dance music which lends itself to the
pure listening experience thanks to the quality of the compositions and
the magnificent voice of lead singer Fiamma.
In 1999 the group recorded its first album under the
name of Fiamma Fumana entitled "0.1"; in March 2002 it released
a single entitled Mantra and this year another album, "Contatto"
(this time under the name of lead singer Fiamma). The group is currently
touring Italy, with performances scheduled on January 25th at the Spazio
Musica in Pavia, January 30th at the Officina Estragon in Bologna and
February 15th at the Calamita in Cavriago (province of Reggio Emilia).
For further information please email: info@excelsior-accordions.it
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Alcoa Singers Performance - USA
 The
Alcoa Singers (composed of 30 employees, contractors, and retirees
of multinational Alcoa Inc. headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
recently completed their 41st concert series which was directed
by conductor and accordionist Henry Doktorski. The Singers performed
ten concerts at venues throughout Pittsburgh during their 2002 Christmas
season, including concerts at Allegheny General Hospital, Magee
Womens' Hospital, First Lutheran Church, Carnegie Library and USX
Steel Tower.
Henry accompanied the Alcoa Singers who performed
songs such as "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", Carol
of the Bells", "Frosty the Snow Man", Carol Medley
and many others.
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New Accordion CD Out Now - China
 Contributed
by Li
Cong
Xie Yan (accordion teacher at the Xian Music
Conservatory), recently released her first solo accordion album.
In 1981, Ms Yan studied at the Pedagogic Department, Xian Music
Conservatory with tutor Liu Yong Yuan. After graduating, she stayed
in the school as an accordion teacher. In 1996, she continued her
studies Russia under Professor
Semionov followed by Professor
Lips in 1999.
During her studies in Moscow, Xie Yan held many
solo concerts. With help from a Moscow recording specialist, she
completed her first free bass accordion CD album, which includes
sonatas and works by Piazzolla. For more information phone: +86
13022978591
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CD Release Party - USA
The PickPocket Ensemble held a CD release party
at Pena Pacha Mama in San Francisco on January 19th. Band members
include Rick Corrigan (accordion), Marguerite Ostrovski (violin),
Aharon Wheels Bolsta (percussion), Will High (bass) and Tim Fox
(guitar).
This is their 3rd CD entitled "If I Were
A Highway", which they believe "defines new world café
music".
A 2nd CD release party will be held on February
20th at Boaz Accordions in Berkeley. For details phone: +1 510-845-1429
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Accordionist
On
January 12th the 
Contributed
by Mike O'Regan
Contributed
by